Afghanistan: Helmand Province

The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What small-scale sustainable development projects they intend to support in Helmand province, and on what scale, to help reduce poverty and improve security in Afghanistan.

Baroness Amos: DfID has agreed to allocate up to £20 million per year to support development projects in the Helmand province. We have allocated £1 million annually to a £3 million quick impact fund, which will be managed by the provincial reconstruction team and include money from other parts of the UK Government. It will fund small-scale projects in a number of areas including community development; stabilisation activities implemented by local non-governmental organisations in areas where the Government of Afghanistan cannot work; and support to refurbish drug rehabilitation clinics. This may include irrigation schemes; local access roads; canal cleaning; and skills training for women and war widows. Sustainability will be a criterion for assessing the use of quick impact funding.
	The majority of DfID funding to Helmand will go through Government of Afghanistan national programmes to build the capacity of the Government and extend their authority throughout the country. DfID's support will help strengthen key institutions of government including the Office of the Governor; the Ministry of Finance; the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development; and the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food. DfID also supports programmes that promote alternatives to poppy production in Helmand, including the development of legal crops, access to agricultural services and broader rural development issues such as infrastructure, access to credit and markets and skills development.

Agriculture: Northern Ireland Beef Sales

Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When it became possible to sell Northern Ireland beef in the rest of the European Union; in which European Union countries Northern Ireland beef is being promoted at present; and what proposals there are to promote Northern Ireland beef in the European Union in future.

Lord Rooker: During the beef export ban, UK beef could be exported only after meeting strict traceability and processing criteria laid down in legislation. Following the EU decision on 8 March to lift the ban on UK beef, it is expected that legislation to allow beef from Northern Ireland to be treated in Europe will be in force by the end of April. That is a very welcome move and will allow exports of Northern Ireland beef and cattle to resume as quickly as possible.
	Because of the beef export ban, Northern Irish beef has not been promoted in Europe. However, the Government have been proactive in recent months, undertaking a wide range of vital preliminary work in anticipation of the lifting of the ban. It has included commissioning extensive research into export market opportunities and assessing the export potential of Northern Ireland companies; the provision of access to Food From Britain's world-wide network of international buyer contacts; and funding a three-year, £1.2 million beef market restoration programme, carried out by the Livestock and Meat Commission, a major element of which aims to assist local companies develop successful export businesses in the long term.
	Under current EC state aid rules, the spending of public money on any promotional activity is severely restricted, and government support for promotion based solely on product origin is banned. However, I can assure the noble Lord that the Government will continue to make every effort to facilitate the complex and lengthy state aid approval process in order to maximise benefits to industry.

Anti-social Behaviour: Individual Support Orders

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What they are doing to expand the use of individual support orders; and
	Whether they plan to extend intervention orders to adults whose anti-social behaviour is not drugs-related; and
	Whether they plan to extend individual support orders to adults.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Individual support orders (ISOs) are already widely available for the courts, and they are obliged to consider making the orders in every case where a stand-alone anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) is issued to a person aged 10–17 years. There are currently no plans to expand the scope of ISOs or extend them for use with adults. We are keen to increase the uptake of ISOs and are working both with the Youth Justice Board (YJB) and Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) to ensure that local areas are aware of the benefits of this support. Drug intervention orders will be available later this year. Although there are currently no plans to extend the drug intervention orders to adults whose behaviour is not drug-related, we are keen to see what more we can do to support adults with ASBOs who have special support needs.

Consultants: Department for Education and Skills

Lord Smith of Clifton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much was spent in each year on external management consultants by the Department for Education and Skills and its agencies from 2000 to 2005.

Lord Adonis: The Department for Education and Skills spent the following sums from administration costs on consultancy:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2000–01 4.3 
			 2001–02 5.0 
			 2002–03 4.0 
			 2003–04 4.7 
			 2004–05 3.9 
			 2005–06 3.5 
		
	
	The costs of consultancy charged to programme budgets before November 2004 were not recorded centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Consultancy costs recorded against programmes from November to March 2004–05 were £4.4 million. £13 million was recorded in 2005–06. It would not be possible to separate management consultancy as recently redefined by the Office of Government Commerce from some forms of wider consultancy expenditure, except at disproportionate cost. The department does not have any executive agencies. Consultancy firms also supply a range of professional services and delivery functions that are outside the definition of consultancy. They are excluded from the above figures.

Consultants: Department for Work and Pensions

Lord Smith of Clifton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much was spent in each year on external management consultants by the Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies from 2000 to 2005.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Department for Work and Pensions spending on external management consultants is set out below. The department was formed in June 2001, and therefore the 2001–02 figure relates to the former DSS only. Full spend for the 2005–06 financial year will not be available until July 2006.
	Spending in 2003–04 represented the peak of the department's major modernisation programme with its high requirement for external expertise.
	
		
			 Financial year £ millions 
			 2001–02 23.79 
			 2002–03 47.57 
			 2003–04 223.35 
			 2004–05 98.64

Employment: County Tyrone

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proposals they have to create jobs in the Castlederg area of County Tyrone; and
	What plans they have to create new employment in the Donemana area of County Tyrone.

Lord Rooker: The Urban Regeneration and Community Development Group within the Department for Social Development utilises different policies and regeneration tools to tackle disadvantage and deprivation and consequently promote economic regeneration and employment opportunities. The department's comprehensive development schemes and urban development grants unlock development opportunities by releasing underused or derelict land and buildings to encourage economic and physical regeneration and promote job creation, inward investment and environmental improvement. In addition, the department launched the neighbourhood renewal strategy in 2003, aimed at tackling deprivation in the top 10 per cent. most deprived areas in Northern Ireland. The strategy has four key strands, one of which is economic renewal. The department aims to encourage business development in these areas and to make sure that people from these areas have the skills that they need to participate in the labour market.
	The Department for Employment and Learning will support employers who are expanding their workforce or creating new jobs by providing job-brokering services and suitable training programmes where appropriate. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development delivers the rural development programme 2000–06, which aims to create 1,000 jobs in rural areas in Northern Ireland.
	The Government have introduced a wide range of measures to deliver their long-term goal of improving Northern Ireland's competitive position, which will ultimately lead to better employment opportunities for all. Examples include DETI's accelerating entrepreneurship and regional innovation strategies, DARD's vision action plan and a number of DSD initiatives designed to regenerate rural and urban areas and promote private sector investment and job creation.
	The overall aim of the EU programme is to move Northern Ireland to a state of sustainable prosperity in a competitive modern economy by focusing on the restructuring of its businesses and the key skills development of its people while maintaining a quality environment.

Euro

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, in light of the increasing usage of the euro as an international currency, they will commission an independent enquiry into future United Kingdom membership of the euro.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Government's policy on membership of the single currency remains unchanged and is as set out by the Chancellor in his Statement to the House of Commons in October 1997 and again in the Chancellor's Statement on the five tests assessment in June 2003. The Chancellor announced in Budget 2006 that,
	"the Government does not propose a euro assessment to be initiated at the time of this budget. The Treasury will again review the situation at Budget time next year",
	as required by the Chancellor's June 2003 Statement.

Films: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In each of the past five years as a percentage and in total, how much funding the Northern Ireland Film Commission has given to (a) films related to Irish culture; and (b) films related to Ulster-Scots culture.

Lord Rooker: The information requested by the noble Lord is not available. The Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission (NIFTC) does not categorise its funding by cultural tradition. From June 2005, NIFTC has administered the Irish Language Broadcasting Fund (ILBF), and this is the only programme that the NIFTC runs that has a specific cultural criterion attached to it. No film projects were funded from the ILBF in 2005–06.

Football: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 15 March (WA 241) concerning soccer in Northern Ireland, what changes in governance and administration they requested from the Irish Football Association; and whether those changes are being enacted.

Lord Rooker: Her Majesty's Government requested the IFA to implement changes in the governance and administration of football recommended under the Soccer Strategy Advisory Panel report which was published by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure in October 2001. These changes are currently being enacted.

Grant Aid: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether it is standard policy in Northern Ireland for letters of offer for grant aid to be issued after an event has taken place; and, if so, whether all the grant-issuing bodies have been informed of the practice.

Lord Rooker: It is not standard policy in Northern Ireland for letters of offer for grant aid to be issued after the event.

Hoses

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Crown Estate is exempt from any restriction on the use of hoses for watering gardens; and, if so, whether the Crown Estate board intends to comply with any such local restrictions on a voluntary basis.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Crown Estate is not exempt and is expected to comply with any such restrictions.

InterTradeIreland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the religious make-up of the employees of InterTradeIreland on 1 January in every year since its creation.

Lord Rooker: InterTradeIreland was established in December 1999 and was staffed initially through the temporary secondment of civil servants from government departments, north and south. The information set out in the table below relates to the religious make-up of InterTradeIreland employees recruited subsequently to permanent posts through open competition starting in October 2000.
	
		
			 Date Numberof staff Roman Catholic Protestant Non-determined 
			 1 January 2001 1 1 0 0 
			 1 January 2002 25 23 2 0 
			 1 January 2003 34 27 7 0 
			 1 January 2004 40 33 7 0 
			 1 January 2005 38 31 6 1 
			 1 January 2006 39 32 6 1

InterTradeIreland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether InterTradeIreland has been asked to repeat a recruitment advertising campaign due to an incorrectly formatted advertisement; and, if so, when; for what reason; and how much the repeat campaign cost.

Lord Rooker: InterTradeIreland repeated an advertisement for its FUSION graduate placement programme in newspapers in Ireland and Northern Ireland in February 2005. This followed representations from the Irish Equality Authority, which considered that the wording of the original advertisement might have discouraged older otherwise qualified persons from applying for places on the programme. The cost of running the amended advertisement was £10,700.

NHS: Ambulance Service

Lord Rana: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to improve access to emergency ambulance services in Northern Ireland, particularly in remote rural areas.

Lord Rooker: The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) has a range of plans in place to improve access to emergency ambulance services throughout the Province that take account of the particular needs of rural areas. They include the introduction of single-manned paramedic vehicles (rapid responders) capable of responding more quickly to an emergency and enable life-preserving treatment to be administered until a conventional ambulance arrives to transport the patient to hospital. The implementation of the advanced medical priority despatch system allows ambulance control to target resources to life-threatening calls and incorporates caller advice whereby callers are given advice on life-saving techniques until an ambulance arrives.
	The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has provided an additional £400,000 in 2006–07 to enable NIAS to secure additional deployment points to improve ambulance response times. NIAS is also working with a range of stakeholders, including the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, to introduce first and co-responder schemes whereby members of the public are trained in life-preserving first aid and can be called on in an emergency to stabilise a patient until an ambulance arrives.

NHS: Ambulance Service

Lord Rana: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will establish a dedicated helicopter ambulance service for Northern Ireland.

Lord Rooker: The helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) feasibility study, commissioned jointly by DHSSPS and the Department of Health and Children in the Republic of Ireland to assess the costs and benefits of any future all-Ireland helicopter emergency medical service, found no advantage for a dedicated HEMS in Ireland. Although the report concluded that the most feasible option for an air ambulance service would be in a non-emergency role, providing inter-hospital transfers for patients requiring specialist care, it did not make a recommendation to that effect.
	In its response to the report, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety indicated that it would give priority to the modernisation of ground services in order to improve emergency response times. The department continues to work with NIAS and the four health and social services boards to achieve that aim. An additional £400,000 has been provided in 2006–07 to enable NIAS to secure additional ambulance deployment points. Some £29 million of strategic investment programme funds have been earmarked to modernise and upgrade ambulance fleet, estate and communications systems.

NHS: Emergency Trauma Care

Lord Rana: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have proposals to centralise emergency trauma care for Northern Ireland at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

Lord Rooker: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) is consulting on a document, Improving Services for Major Trauma, which contains recommendations to improve trauma care. The document recommends that all patients who suffer major trauma, about 370 each year in Northern Ireland, should be admitted to the Royal Group of Hospitals, although appropriate resuscitation and stabilisation services would continue at the larger acute hospitals outside Belfast.
	Following consultation, DHSSPS will issue definitive guidance to health and personal social services on the management of patients following major trauma.

North/South Implementation Bodies: Bullying

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many complaints have been received from each cross-border implementation body about staff bullying since 2002; and what action they have taken.

Lord Rooker: Since 2002, two complaints have been made against Waterways Ireland about staff bullying. On the matter of the first complaint, I refer the noble Lord to the joint statement issued on 5 April 2005 by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. The statement is available in the Library. Concerning the second complaint, I refer the noble Lord to my Answer of 21 July 2005 (col. WA 324). The confidential mediation process is ongoing.
	No complaints about staff bullying have been made against any of the other implementation bodies since 2002.

Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they propose to use the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill to place restrictions on the sale and use of two-, three- and four-wheeled motorised ride-on vehicles by children.

Lord Rooker: There are no plans to amend the Bill in that way.

Northern Ireland National Stadium

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, when they sought suggestions for a site for a National Stadium for Northern Ireland, they already had a preferred site in mind.

Lord Rooker: The Government had no preferred site in mind when they sought suggestions for the proposed multi-sports stadium in May 2004.

Northern Ireland National Stadium

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have made an agreement with Sinn Fein concerning any form of memorial at the site of the former prison at the Maze; if so, what was that agreement; and when was it made.

Lord Rooker: No agreement has been made regarding any form of memorial at the Maze/Long Kesh site.

Northern Ireland National Stadium

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the four main political parties in Northern Ireland have agreed to the site of a national stadium; if so, in what form the agreement was arrived at; and which members of each party were parties to the agreement.

Lord Rooker: The Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) established the Maze consultation panel in January 2003. The panel reported to government in February 2005 with a unanimous vision of all four main political parties, which included the development of a multi-sports stadium at the Maze/Long Kesh site. The appointees from the four parties were:
	Chair: David Campbell—Ulster Unionist Party
	Vice-chair: Michael McKernan—Social Democratic and Labour Party
	Member: Gerry Cosgrove—Social Democratic and Labour Party
	Member: Roy Bailie—Ulster Unionist Party
	Member: Mairtin O'Muilleoir—Sinn Fein
	Member: Edwin Poots—Democratic Unionist Party

Northern Ireland: Department of Finance and Personnel

Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On which dates in 2006 Mr Bruce Robinson, Second Permanent Secretary at the Northern Ireland Department of Finance and Personnel, visited the Republic of Ireland; at which locations in the Republic he attended meetings; and what were the subjects discussed at each meeting.

Lord Rooker: Bruce Robinson on 9 February 2006 attended at the invitation of the Strategic Investment Board (SIB) a dinner in the Ballymascanlon House Hotel, Dundalk, on the evening before the all-island infrastructure investment conference. The conference was sponsored by the SIB, the Republic of Ireland's National Development Finance Agency and Barclays Bank and facilitated by InterTradeIreland. The dinner was hosted by Bmf Business Services, the conference organisers, and attended by the speakers, representatives from the sponsors, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
	On 22 February, he attended at the invitation of the North/South Roundtable Group its plenary at University College Cork, which considered international labour market trends and the impact on local labour markets. That was followed by the plenary dinner for delegates. He returned to Belfast the following morning.

Northern Ireland: Peace Funding

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Training for Women Network in Northern Ireland has received an application for Peace II extension funding from the West Tyrone Voice.

Lord Rooker: The Training for Women Network did receive an application from West Tyrone Voice for funding under the Peace II extension.

Parliamentary Ombudsman

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 March (WA 126), on how many occasions since 1997, and in respect of which specific recommendations, the Department for Education and Skills and its predecessor refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman.

Lord Adonis: I am not aware of any occasion since 1997 in the department, its predecessor or associated executive agencies or NDPBs when the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman were not fully accepted and implemented.

Passports

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether a person applying for a British passport abroad must be ordinarily resident in the country in which the passport application is made.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: An applicant for a British passport overseas does not need to be ordinarily resident in the country of application. However, they must be in the country of application at the time of signing the application and at the time of issue.

Police: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many police officers in Northern Ireland were released under the terms of the Patten settlement; and what was the cost of the voluntary severance arrangement.

Lord Rooker: A total of 2,441 officers have left the Police Service of Northern Ireland under the terms of the voluntary severance scheme since 1 January 2001. The total amount paid in severance benefits, which can not be more than that which an officer could have earned by working to retirement age, is £181 million. That equates to an average payment of £74,000 per officer. However, savings achieved over the same period as a result of the implementation of the severance scheme equate to £398 million. The net cost of the severance scheme to date is therefore a saving of £217 million.

Police: Prosecution of Officers

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many prosecutions against serving or retired police officers recommended by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland have been dealt with by a resident magistrate since 1 January 2005; and what has been the outcome in each concluded case.

Lord Rooker: The Police Ombudsman's office has advised that since 1 January 2005 there have been two such cases, both resulting in convictions.

Probation: Reoffending

Lord Ramsbotham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the proportion of responses to the consultation document Restructuring Probation to Reduce Re-offending that were opposed to the proposal.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Responses to the consultation engaged with the detail of the proposals rather than simply stating their opposition or support, so it is not possible to break down into accurate proportions the views submitted. The summary of responses, Working with Probation to Protect the Public and Reduce Re-offending, published on 30 March, clearly sets out the range of views expressed.

Race Relations

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What measures they have taken to tackle racist attitudes and ethnic segregation following the disturbances in the northern towns in 2001; and whether they have made an assessment of the impact of these measures.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Home Office has had a public service agreement (PSA) since 2002 to bring about measurable improvements in race equality and community cohesion across a range of performance indicators, as part of the Government's objectives on equality and social inclusion. This PSA target was rolled forward in 2004 to "reduce race inequalities and build community cohesion".
	In 2005, the Government published Improving Opportunity, Strengthening Society, the first cross-departmental strategy to increase community cohesion and race equality, which includes a focus on ensuring that racism is unacceptable by improving the way in which the police and other agencies handle reports of racist or religiously motivated incidents; improving the reporting of racially motivated incidents; ensuring vigorous prosecution of racially and religiously aggravated offences; reducing racist reoffending; and providing greater support for victims and witnesses. In addition, for example, we have passed the new Racial and Religious Hatred Act; introduced citizenship education in secondary schools; launched a non-statutory framework for religious education; and established Holocaust memorial day. All of that will help with tackling racist attitudes.
	The Government are also ensuring that community cohesion is mainstreamed into all areas of work. For example, it has been embedded into the comprehensive performance assessment process. The Home Office and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are also working with Government Offices to incorporate community cohesion into the local area agreements. An action guide on community cohesion was revised in 2004 to assist local authorities and their partners. An £18 million Connecting Communities Plus grants programme over three years was launched in October. It will provide funding for race equality and community cohesion projects from 2006–07 to underpin the strategy.
	Measures have been taken to tackle ethnic segregation, particularly in housing, education and the workplace. In housing, one of the practical measures preventing communities becoming more segregated is a choice-based lettings scheme, which crucially has provided people with practical support in moving into areas that they may not traditionally have seen as being for them. In addition, we are looking at a new approach to creating what we call "mixed communities" in areas of disadvantage.
	We want schools to have well balanced intakes, and we endorse the use of banding in the schools White Paper, as it tends to produce genuinely comprehensive school populations. Building on the good work that already takes place in many areas, the White Paper also sets out our plans to develop further networking and collaboration between schools, such as between schools with very different ethnic populations.
	The Government's ethnic minority employment task force is committed to increasing the percentage of people from ethnic minorities and reducing the difference from the overall employment rate. Also, the ethnic minority outreach programme, funded by Jobcentre Plus, involves private and voluntary organisations reaching people who do not normally engage with Jobcentre or other services and helping them to find a job or become more employable. Progress against the current PSA target is published in the annual autumn performance report. We will publish an annual review of progress against the strategy in summer 2006.

Race Relations

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How they have tackled the issues of misinformation and lack of effective engagement with all communities through appropriate communications, which were identified as key issues causing racial conflict in the report Community Pride, not Prejudice, which preceded the disturbances in Bradford in 2001.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: These issues are important themes in the Government's work to build community cohesion and empower people to influence decisions. Community Pride, not Prejudice highlighted how perceptions by one group that it is treated less favourably than another can lead to community tension. To help overcome this, the Home Office and the ODPM jointly published, in 2003 and 2004, advice for people responsible for designing area-based initiatives and for local residents and practitioners who deliver such initiatives. The advice emphasises the importance of preparing established residents for change; involving local people in deciding funding priorities; and keeping residents fully informed of the reasoning behind the allocation of funding. The ODPM is encouraging stakeholders to take account of these principles, particularly in the Thames Gateway programme and the mixed communities approach.
	The Government have supported the publication in 2004 and 2005 of guidance by a number of agencies to help ensure that the media report matters affecting cohesion in a way that avoids inflaming tensions and to help councils work with the media to achieve that. The Government believe that that engagement with all sections of local communities is vital to the successful delivery of public policies and services and contributes to the building of cohesive communities. Together We Can is a cross-government initiative to empower more people to influence decisions. Practical measures include the establishment of the "civic pioneers" network of local authorities to share good practice on engagement and the "Active Learning for Active Citizens" programme, which provides citizenship education to adults. Youth engagement initiatives include a project with the UK Youth Parliament to explore the use of video to capture community views and to present young people's views.

Revenue and Customs: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What positions are currently unfilled in HM Revenue and Customs in Northern Ireland; and, in each case, why the post is vacant.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: There is currently one vacancy being advertised in HM Revenue and Customs in Northern Ireland. The post is at administrative officer grade and is in the criminal investigation unit in Belfast. The vacancy arose following the transfer of a member of staff to another post.

Schools: Northern Ireland

Lord Steinberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they have received from grammar schools and the public in Northern Ireland regarding educational achievement relative to the rest of the United Kingdom.

Lord Rooker: In response to decisions to reform post-primary education in Northern Ireland, the Government have received representations from grammar schools and members of the public. These have contrasted the levels of educational achievement attained by some pupils in Northern Ireland with those in England and attribute it to the system of academic selection. However, they fail to acknowledge that, although the current arrangements for post-primary education in Northern Ireland do well for some pupils, they do less well for others.
	The new arrangements for post-primary education will raise standards for all pupils by ending a system of academic selection where a child's future is determined on the basis of two tests at age 11. They will build on current performance, keeping pupils' options open rather than closing them down, and provide a more flexible curriculum to enable education to be better tailored to meet individual pupils' needs.

Seals

Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they have made to the Canadian Government in relation to the Canadian seal hunt.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Government's opposition to the seal hunt is well known to the Canadian authorities. The Government have made two representations to the Canadian Government in relation to the Canadian seal hunt in the past year. On 13 July 2005, my honourable friend the Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, Ian Pearson, raised the seal hunt during an introductory call with the Canadian High Commissioner. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry also raised the seal hunt with the Canadian Minister of International Trade during a telephone call on 27 February 2006.

Taxation: Corporation Tax

Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any nation in the European Union has more than one rate of corporation tax in its sovereign territory; and whether consideration will be given to implementing a system of different corporation tax rates in the various regions of the United Kingdom.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: In certain circumstances, some member states have more than one rate; for example, some have state aid agreements leading to more than one rate, and others have territories and dependencies that have their own rates.
	Our corporation tax regime is a UK-wide system, and introducing different rates in different parts of the UK could distort competition. It would also result in a system that would place a significant administrative burden on businesses and on the Government. Many companies trade in different regions of the UK, and it would not be easy to determine which proportion of their profits was liable at which rate. In addition, such a measure could also create opportunities for some companies to manipulate the rules simply to benefit from a lower rate.

Taxation: VAT

Lord Inglewood: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McKenzie of Luton on 30 March (WA 157), whether they have signed annexe K of the sixth European Union VAT directive.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Government have chosen not to apply to introduce a reduced rate of VAT for supplies of any of the services listed in annexe K of the sixth VAT directive, for the reasons that I gave in my previous reply.

Timor Leste

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their response to the recommendation of the Timor Leste Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation concerning the role of the United Kingdom in the conflict in Timor Leste between 1974 and 1999; and whether they will propose that the report should be considered by the United Nations Security Council.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Government consistently worked through the UN to seek a resolution for East Timor that would fully protect the interests of its people. Since 1999, we have played a committed role in providing assistance for East Timor and in ensuring that appropriate assistance was provided by the UN. We continue to do so.
	It is for the UN Secretary-General to decide whether to disseminate the report within the UN, including in the Security Council. The Security Council is already due to discuss the issue of addressing the past human rights abuses in East Timor.

Universities: Northern Ireland

Lord Rana: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many students from (a) China, and (b) India currently study at (i) postgraduate and (ii) undergraduate level in Northern Ireland universities and colleges.

Lord Rooker: The number of Chinese- and Indian-domiciled student enrolments on higher education courses at Northern Ireland institutions by domicile and level of study 2004–05 is as follows:
	
		
			 Domicile Undergraduate Postgraduate Total 
			 Chinese 305 418 723 
			 Indian 12 67 79 
		
	
	Source: HESA and FESR

Universities: Science and Technology

Lord Rana: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many young people are studying for science and technology degrees at Queen's University Belfast and the University of Ulster in the current academic year; and how many studied for these degrees in 1997–98.

Lord Rooker: Enrolments of students aged under 21 on science and technology degree courses at Queen's University Belfast and the University of Ulster in 1997–98 and 2004–05 are given below:
	
		
			  Queens UniversityBelfast   University ofUlster 
			  1997–98 2004–05 1997–98 2004–05 
			 Medicine and dentistry 510 584 - - 
			 Subjects allied to medicine 346 881 743 1,360 
			 Agriculture and relatedsubjects 93 92 37 66 
			 Biological sciences 588 585 509 729 
			 Physical sciences 
			 Chemistry 121 95 - - 
			 Physics 88 91 - - 
			 Other physical sciences 321 499 256 187 
			 Mathematical sciences 236 225 56 17 
			 Computer science 193 519 391 827 
			 Engineering and technology 692 769 310 509 
			 Architecture, building andplanning 203 263 319 760 
			 Total 3,391 4,602 2,621 4,456 
		
	
	A new subject coding system was introduced for the 2002–03 academic year in which single enrolments were split over one or more subject groups reflecting the programme of study. Comparisons between 1997–98 and 2004–05 should therefore be viewed in this context. For comparability over the two years, figures are based on a snapshot of enrolments at 1 December within the academic year. Information on full-year enrolments on all higher education courses at NI institutions are available from 1996–97 and can be viewed at: www.delni.gov.uk/index/publications/pubs-stats/higher-education-enrolments.htm.
	Figures refer to students aged under 21 at the beginning of the relevant academic year.

Waterways Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 18 January (WA 124), whether the decision by Waterways Ireland to purchase chocolates for all staff in 2002 was taken by the senior management group; and, if not, who took the decision and why.

Lord Rooker: I refer the noble Lord to my Answer of 22 March (col. WA 70). The relevant documents have been placed in the Library. They include details of the decision to purchase chocolates in 2002.